Getting your own cloud server can be very daunting when you think about the setup and maintenance tasks you will have to deal with as you try to get the server running smoothly. Aside from the basic setup of the hosting server, you also need to think about how the database is configured, security measures to put in place, and other details about the cloud environment.

Still, there are a lot of benefits to gain from using your own cloud account to host websites, particularly when you have a lot of sites catering to thousands of visitors. In this article, we will discuss some of the easiest ways to get started with using your own cloud server.

Choosing a Cloud Service

This is the first task you have to complete if you want to own your own cloud hosting space. There are a lot of options to choose from these days, including managed cloud VPS services and cloud-based reseller hosting.

For maximum freedom, you want a cloud VPS service with root access. Service providers like Digital Ocean, Linode, and Amazon AWS offer great cloud services at reasonable prices, so finding one that suits you should not be difficult.

In the case of Amazon AWS, you have more control over how your cloud ecosystem is configured. You can have different instances for specific functions like Nginx and MySQL. Top programming sites like Javabeat.net now offers plenty of tutorials on how to get your AWS server configured properly.

Networking Done Right

The next challenge is choosing an operating system. In most cases, you can settle for CentOS or Ubuntu (Debian) depending on the operating system you are familiar with the most. I personally love using Ubuntu because I've been using Debian-based OS for a while, but you can choose an operating system that works for you just as easily.

Before you can continue, you need to make sure that the server network is configured correctly. Most services like Linode do this automatically, so you are good to go once the operating system is installed. Others like Google Cloud and AWS require you to manually configure server networking, assigning public and private IP addresses in the process.

One-Stop Install

Now it is time to actually configure the web server side of the cloud infrastructure. There are several steps you need to complete, from installing Apache or Nginx (depending on how the server is configured) to adding a firewall and an anti-spam for your email addresses.

Fortunately, there is an easy way to get this done. There are pre-made installation scripts that will automate this whole process for you. EasyEngine, for instance, is great for hosting thousands of WordPress sites. If you want a graphical user interface (GUI), you can also turn to VestaCP and its server images.

You can even go the cPanel route and configure your server like a conventional hosting. For WordPress sites, however, adding a full set of cPanel layers may not be necessary. You can squeeze more performance from the server without the heavy processes and tasks running in the background.